The #1 Activity You’re *Not* Doing To Maintain Athletic Ability

A thin layer of sweat covers my forehead and the back of my neck.

The wind slowly begins to wiz past my face at a faster rate.

My breath remains steady as I push harder and harder; the cold air piercing my lungs.

Heart pumping, my arms thrust forward and back, propelling my next stride.

I hit max speed, every footstep popping me off the ground mimicking a floating sensation.

My legs begin to burn and I lean forward slightly to create the last bit of momentum as my eyes begin to water.

I begin to let my legs naturally slow me down.

Hands on knees, I gasp for air and let the rush of adrenaline and endorphins wash over me before walking back to where I’ll begin the sequence all over again.

I feel lighter. Strong. Athletic. Free.

Sprinting is in our nature.

As humans, we were designed to run, jump, sprint, and carry heavy loads over long distances.

But as we get older, we start to lose our physical ability to continue carrying out many of these activities.

The beginning of the end

95% of people stop sprinting after the age of 30. It’s one of the main factors behind why most feel “old” in their otherwise naturally young body.

You might say, “what’s the big deal… why sprint if I don’t have to?”

It’s not actually about sprinting. It’s about having the ability TO sprint.

Sprinting requires an athletic body. When you are able to sprint, it means your physical ceiling to perform other activities remains high. It’s a litmus test for athleticism.

It also means that lower intensity activities like running or jogging remain easy.

When you stop sprinting, that physical ceiling starts to erode. You become stiff and weak until steady state running doesn’t even feel good. Then jogging and walking down stairs can even become painful.

When you stop pushing your body to perform it starts dying.

Use it to improve it

The good news is that you can always retrain your body. It’s a highly adaptable machine.

The key is to begin with your own individual work capacity threshold and gradually progress. Meet yourself where you’re at.

If you’re strong but stiff, work on your mobility.

If you’re flexible but weak, work on your strength.

Then start with long walks to get time on feet and strengthening your feet and lower legs. Then progress to run / walks.

From there, start incorporating drills that mimic running mechanics such as single leg plyometrics, skipping and box jump variations.

This will strengthen everything up the kinetic chain from your feet, ankles to your lower legs, knees and hips.

It will also help you get your bounce back, prime your nervous system and assimilate your body for higher impact activities.

Final thoughts

Getting older is not an excuse to stop training like an athlete.

Sprinting, jumping, hanging, climbing, rolling are all basic human movements. But when you stop engaging in those activities, your ability to perform them atrophies.

Continue to use your body and the capacity that it has to perform higher intensity activities like sprinting and you’ll maintain a deeper reservoir of functional abilities that translate into many other areas of everyday life.

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